@chirojared Excellent news, hopefully they will do the right thing, and realize that many Omega lovers are watching with baited breath, as this type of thing should not happen to a $9k tool watch, IMO.

Honestly, it would make sense to have a buyer sign a waiver understanding the fragility of the case and that Omega will not cover damaged cases. A $7k case on a $9k watch...the other bits ain't worth much then. Is it more expensive than solid gold?

 

Besides selling it at a loss to someone who doesn't mind the cosmetic damage, here is a suggestion:

Buy or have your watchmaker get the same size case in stainless and reuse the movement and strap. For example the 311.33.44.51.01.001 case



As an aside - many track driving enthusiasts replace the factory ceramic brake rotors with iron for cost and durability reasons. Porsche PCCB brakes are great on the street but the track Caymans I've seen run iron.

 

Fingers crossed for you.

 

Well, remember it's actually a $12k watch - when bought new, from a Boutique, of course

I still don't think it's a tool watch - the Dark Side / Grey Side line are design watches with tool aesthetics. Doesn't reduce them in my opinion; I think the Dark Side is awesome. But definitely not a tool watch!

 

Good luck ! I hope everything ends up well for you and the watch

 

I agree, it is not a tool watch...but it is. Somewhat of a conundrum, as if Rolex made a ceramic Sub, and the cases started chipping when people who actually dove with them started bumping into things on a boat.

For the exact reason that you state, I think that it would make sense for Omega to have some sort of warning when you buy...

 

I hope the OP has success getting this resolved, but you also have to look at this from Omega's perspective. Like @dsio says there have only been two documented cases of ceramic case damage, but lets assume there are a few more out there. If Omega replaces a damaged case for one person, they have to plan they will replace it for everyone. A compromise could be: if purchased for retail at a boutique, with full factory warranty, they will replace during the warranty period. Either way, I think it is prudent to be careful, but not to worry about this. It's rare, probably on the order of damage to stainless steel cases, or less. Wear your watch, enjoy it, and if you are really concerned, then buy insurance.

 

Well, if Omega replaces this case, it won't be as a warranty repair, as that would set a precedent as you mention. What they can do is make it a "courtesy repair" which translates to "it's not our fault, and therefore not a warranty repair, but we are doing you a solid and fixing it anyway."

Insurance is a good idea with one of these in my view. To me it's like having fire insurance on your house - the chances of it happening might be slim, but the cost is so high having the insurance is smart.

Does anyone know of any documentation from Omega that talks about the durability of these cases? I see a lot of marketing about how they are made, but have not seen any claims regarding durability. If I look at internal documentation, there are concerns about damage to ceramic cases during service, so detailed instructions are given on how to open the snap back case without causing damage...for example when using the case knife to get the case back off, don't pry (advice I always give with any snap back case), and don't pry against the case lug - they show a damaged lug from prying against it...chip taken out of the side of the lug...

Cheers, Al

 

I honestly still can't understand why you would think that the product itself is flawed. If you drop your dining ware (which has to sustain thousands of hours of use of forks and knives...) it will break and so does this ceramic.

The above statement I do understand to some degree, as you could say the the way it is presented by OMEGA could make the customer believe that this would sustain more than it does and it is not as common knowledge as with dining ware.

 

You said you where yon your knees when this happened. What were you doing and what did it fall onto?

I've hit mine really hard at night up against objects and was worried about turning a light on to check it out. But since I don't have a deployant clasp yet I only take it off and put it on over a soft object that is only a couple inches below my wrist. I treat it like I would a complicated Patek etc...

Good luck with Omega. It would be huge for others that run into this type of problem if they cover your watch.

 

@billyblue I never said that I think that the case is flawed, but I do think that Omega owes a couple of things to its buyers.

First, let them know about the possibility of a case chipping and breaking and not being able to be repaired.

Second, in those instances where a case sustains damage, I think that Omega should do a courtesy repair that does not gauge the consumer, as $7k case does. If it doesn't happen that often, then why charge retail, unless the cost is really $7k to make it.

How much does a used one go for anyway? Wouldn't it make sense to sell the broken one, and then take those proceeds and buy a pre-owned one? Wouldn't the numbers work out better then just a $7k hit?

I really don't have a dog in this fight, as I never plan on owning a modern Omega, let alone a ceramic one that has the possibility of a $7k case repair.

Will be very telling how Omega chooses to help the OP in this instance.

 

Omega isn't the only one that has had this happen:


The properties of ceramics is what makes it so scratch resistant. This same property also makes it very brittle unfortunately. I would definitely have insurance on a ceramic watch for accidents like this even if it is very rare. I would think the only thing Omega would possibly offer is a replacement case at cost. Anything else would set a precedent on future claims that Omega may have with other watches down the road.

 

I hope it works out works out well. I think I'd ask for a steel case before paying $7k for another ceramic one.

 

I was actually giving my 3 year old son a bath and he was splashing a lot so I figured I would take it off so it wouldn't get soaked. It fell on the tiled floor but like I said I was on my knees when it happened. I couldn't leave my son unattended in the bathtub so that is why I didn't leave the bathroom to take it off. My knees were on a bathmat but the watch slipped as I was taking it off and hit the hard floor next to the mat..

 

Im dealing with a broken ceramic bezel insert that fell out of my rolex on it's own. It cracked when it hit the ground and is getting replaced. Rolex is trying to deny a warranty claim saying it isn't possible that it fell out. This is over $350 mind you, not $7k. I hope you get good news, but I wouldn't bank on it.

 

This sounds exactly what could happen to me with my little ones, almost every serious damage happening to my watches has a similar story [emoji58] I feel with you.

 

Guys, what do you think of the idea of OMEGA themselves offering an insurance for ceramic watch buyers for a small amount? Think "Apple Care"...

 

You should be able to add it onto your household policy for circa £40.00 then it's insured for loss, theft etc and not just accidental damage. If you can afford to buy an £8k watch you can afford to properly insure it.

 

Jewelry is covered under most home owner policies to a certain amount. If they come back at 7k and you really don't want to pay it, you can call your homeowners co and ask. Probably will cover it after deductible.